This invention concerns the incorporation of a unique trigger, safety, stock attachment, and cheekpiece embodied in a rifle of the "bull-pup" style where the barrel/receiver assembly is mounted in the bullstock.
Trigger--The trigger is a capacitor loaded, solenoid driven electronic trigger with mechanical option, and an operator initiated control timer.
One feature of my trigger, the combination of an electrical and mechanical release, is similar to the Temple U.S. Pat. No. 2,780,882 with the difference being that my trigger allows the operator to choose between the electrical or mechanical release mechanism. Temple outlines in his patent a mechanical back-up for use in the event the electric trigger should fail. However, in actual practice, the back-up feature won't work. Temple did not allow for, or allude to, any overtravel mechanism to let the trigger lever continue past the point where the electric trigger switch is activated. This is a serious design problem. Temple's drawings show that attempting to use his mechanical back-up will drive his trigger lever into the electric trigger switch. This would damage the switch, the trigger lever, or both, and certainly affect the quality or "feel" of the mechanical trigger pull.
Temple himself was probably aware of this problem as he refers to the mechanical release as a back-up only and makes no claims or reference to having a feature to allow the operator to be able to select between the electrical and mechanical release mechanisms. It would have been to his advantage to make such a claim as it would eliminate the need for "set" trigger arrangements. Further, Temple's discussion of the operation of the mechanical back-up is very brief compared to the rest of his patent and as already observed does not address the overtravel problem.
As previously mentioned with my trigger the operator can select the electric release or the mechanical release mechanism. These are features that are similar to the "Electronic Set Trigger" Johnson/Badall U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,803, except my trigger uses no separate trigger button on the trigger lever and does not link the solenoid to the trigger lever.
As an added safety feature, my trigger has an operator initiated timer. When the operator selects the electric trigger function, a timer is started that will disable the electric trigger function if no shot is fired in a preset period of time, say 20 seconds. This prevents the sensitive electric trigger from remaining active should the operator forget that he has selected the electric option. No other trigger mechanism has this important safety feature.
Finally, for added convenience, my electric trigger resets its timing cycle if a shot is fired within the allowed period of time. Thus, making it ideal for firearms capable of rapid repeat shots.
Safety--The firearm safety is located forward of the receiver and, in this embodiment, part way down the barrel. This is similar to other patents with safeties located on a rifle forearm such as Anderson U.S. Pat. No. 2,380,140 which has buttons activating a device that blocks the trigger mechanism, and Fischer U.S. Pat. No. 2,819,550 that has a cable that must be continuously pressed to maintain the gun in the "fire" condition.
My safety is a sear blocking device unlike Anderson U.S. Pat. No. 2,380,140. A trigger blocking safety like Anderson's must be manufactured to precise tolerances when used with firearm triggers that have short pulls leading to discharge like my electronic trigger. A problem that is even further complicated when the trigger is adjustable. My sear blocking safety requires less manufacturing precision and is more secure than trigger blocking devices.
My safety has two stable positions, both "fire"and "safe", unlike Fischer U.S. Pat. No. 2,819,550. Safety mechanisms that require the shooter's non-trigger hand to be placed in a certain position on the gun to fire the gun, interfere with the shooter obtaining his most comfortable hold on the gun depending on the shooting stance and his personal preference. This markedly affects the ability of a shooter to reach his peak level of accuracy. Hence, unlike Fischer my forward mounted safety does not require constant shooter contact with the safety to maintain "fire" conditions.
The net effect is my safety provides for a secure, easy to manufacture, sear blocking design that does not require continuous contact by the shooter and is ideal for bull-pup and other applications.
Stock Attachment--When designing a rifle one of the problems faced by the designer is how to attach the receiver/barrel assembly to the stock so that torque applied to the stock is not transmitted to the receiver/barrel assembly and thus affecting accuracy. Some rifle designs do not place a particularly high premium on accuracy hence there is not much concern about stock attachment. However, where accuracy is a concern, torque effects are controlled through such methods as free-floating the barrel, fiberglass bedding the barrel/receiver, and using dimensionally stable synthetic or laminated stocks.
The stock torquing problem is especially acute in rifles of the bull-pup style. With the bull-pup's rearward mounted receiver there is the opportunity to have a longer bearing surface between the stock and the receiver/barrel assembly than with conventional designs. There is very little prior art associated with this problem in bull-pup designs other than the just "bolt-it-down" approach or the special receiver/pistol grip arrangement with synthetic stock enveloping the key components as used in Steyr's Austrian service rifle the AUG.
In my preferred embodiment the attachment mechanism is comprised of two points that allow rotation around each point and lateral displacement along a line parallel to the bore; thus isolating stock flexure from the barrel/receiver assembly. This is suitible to a wide variety of firearm designs not just a bull-pup.
Cheekpiece--The bull-pup rifle needs some method to isolate the shooter's face from the receiver for shooter comfort especially when the receiver is hot or cold. In the past this protection has either not been provided or it was integral with the stock. Disclosed herein is a cheekpiece protector that is removable from the stock so as to facilitate easy removal of the barrel/receiver from the stock and to improve shooter comfort.